


An Issue of Consent

by mylatestobssession



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Angst, Implied/Referenced Dubious Consent, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, discussions of consent, the story emmerdale should tell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-22
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-09 10:06:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10409706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mylatestobssession/pseuds/mylatestobssession
Summary: When Aaron demands the details of Robert's betrayal he is unnerved by what he hears.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the discussion/theory of whether Robert was too drunk to consent when he slept with Rebecca.

They hadn’t spoken in a week. 

It had taken Aaron three days to get Robert to admit what was wrong. He had cheated on him with Rebecca. He had thrown him out. Not caring that the entire pub was watching them as Robert pleaded with him. Didn’t care as he caught sight of Chrissie’s smug face. Her warning to him about Robert ringing in his ears. 

But after a week of waking up in an empty bed, surrounded by reminders of Robert, Aaron’s anger had mostly subsided and now he just wanted answers. He knew that Robert wasn’t the only one to blame. He always knew that every time he pushed Robert away there was a chance he wouldn’t stay, that he wouldn’t fight for them. He just hadn’t expected it to be so soon. 

The morning after he had thrown Robert out, Victoria had come to see him. Checking up on him for her sake but for Robert’s as well, even if she didn’t say it he knew. She was at upset and angry at Robert but she knew that Robert wouldn’t defend himself or explain how bad things had gotten for Aaron while he had been in prison. Well if he wasn’t going to fight she sure as hell will. She had never seen her brother so content than while he had been with Aaron. 

She made Aaron a strong cup of tea before telling him to sit down. He had given her his ‘don’t boss me around look’ as he complied anyway. 

“Now, you have every right to throw him out like you did. In fact, I don’t blame you. What he did was stupid on a level even I didn’t think he could accomplish.” 

Aaron nodded, knowing what was coming. 

“However, you being in prison wasn’t easy for him.”

“Wasn’t easy for him? He wasn’t the one getting beaten up daily!” he said angrily.

“Aaron calm down!” She waited for him to nod that he was ok with her continuing. “Exactly you were being beaten up in prison because of Robert.” 

“It wasn’t because of Robert.”

“It was because they found out you were gay and they found that out because Robert came to visit you and accidently gave it away. You saw what he was like. He was terrified of you being hurt because of him and there was nothing he could do that would help you that he wasn’t already doing.” 

Aaron remembered how broken up Robert had been when he visited after Chas had told him that Jason had found out. 

“Two weeks into your sentence, I came in here and saw him hiding a duvet in the kitchen. When I asked him what he was doing he said that he was opening the curtains. He looked like he hadn’t slept. It wasn’t until I cornered him later at lunch that he admitted that he couldn’t bear sleeping in your bed without you.” 

Aaron couldn’t help his smile at that. 

“That same day he got to the mill to see that some vandals had graffitied it with the words ‘prison scum’. 

Aaron frowned at that. 

“For all we all knew you had 50 weeks left on your sentence and already he was barely sleeping and stressed trying to sort the mill out, Liv and worrying himself sick about you. Then with Chas and Charity in Prague with Sarah, he got a letter from the school saying that he was being fined because Liv had missed too much school. Then he finds her skiving again but this time at Gabby’s with a boy. Gabby was upstairs with a different boy losing her virginity. I still can’t tell who was more traumatised about the prospect of a sex talk.”

Aaron snorted at that. He could see both of their horrified faces. 

“Next day, the boy Gabby slept with posted about it on the internet and was being a dick about it. Liv of course decided to punch him leading to her being excluded. To which Robert thought it would be a great idea to have her home-schooled, Liv the girl who whines about an hour’s worth of homework when she could be playing on the Xbox.”

Aaron laughs. 

“Then he goes to visit you at the last minute.” Victoria missed Aaron tensing up. “I have no idea what happened during that visit. All I know is that Robert came back and demanded Adam left him alone at the mill. Next thing I know, he is turning up on my doorstep because you chucked him out and he refused to talk to you, I made him tell me why. He was lucky I was still there when Adam came home. I had to stop him from punching him.”

Aaron’s uncomfortable now. He was relieved that Robert hadn’t told Victoria about the drugs. So soon after Holly, Adam would not have reacted well to his best friend using. Any excuse Aaron could have used would have fallen flat. Even when Aaron wants nothing to do with him, he was still protecting him. 

“I know what he has done is horrible, that you may never be able to forgive him for but this wasn’t the same as the other times he has cheated. He told Chas. Chas! Of all people, the one person who would hate him the most. He was all set to tell you but Chas, after seeing how much you were struggling in prison told him to wait. When you got out you were struggling to re-adjust. He didn’t want to add to your suffering.”

“He should have thought of that before he slept with Rebecca the moment it got hard.” 

“What happened when he came to visit you? It must have been something big because I know how much Robert loves you and I am just struggling with him cheating on you.”

“Vic, leave it. It’s between me and Robert.”

“Then talk to him! All he has done is mope around the house and Chas has told me that you have spent most of your time locked up in your room. Just please think about what you want and make sure you are absolutely certain of the decision you make.” 

She leaves him to his thoughts. What did he want? Could he forgive Robert? There was only one way to know for sure. He got up and went to grab his coat as Chas walked into the room. 

“Aaron! Not only are you out of your room but you are leaving the house?”

He rolled his eyes. 

“You’re not going to see Robert are you?”

“He is my husband”

“Not legally”

“Mum, we both broke our vows. We need to talk.”

He ignored her further protests as he left through the back door. It was weird being outside. He had only been in prison for six weeks but the limited time he had outside had been enough to make it feel slightly strange when he was outside now. He didn’t dwell. Keen not to become a target for small talk from fellow villagers. He headed straight to Keepers Cottage as fast as he could without catching anyone’s attention. 

As he knocked on the door it occurred to him that Robert might not be in. But from what Vic had said Robert hadn’t been functional. 

It was the longest minute of his life as he waited for Robert to answer the door. Aaron’s first thought was that he looked terrible. The dark circles under his eyes were enough to tell him Robert wasn’t sleeping. 

“Aaron” he breathed out in surprise. Aaron gave the tiniest smile in return. 

“Can I come in?” he asked, knowing the answer already. 

“Of course,” Robert almost tripped over his own feet in his haste to let Aaron in, afraid he would change his mind. As they walked through to the living room, Robert gestured for Aaron to take a seat. 

“So, you told Vic the truth about we split.” started Aaron quietly. 

"She didn't exactly give me much choice. She refused to let me stay here until I told her why. I had happily forgotten how hard she can slap when she is angry at you." Aaron nodded his head. “Besides she would have heard anyway. Adam was in the pub. It was better she heard it from me.”

“Thank you” Aaron said sincerely. “For not telling Vic or Adam about the drugs.”

“How do you know I didn’t?”

“Well considering the earful I just got from Vic about you, I doubt she would have left it out and Adam would have been around the pub straight away.”

Robert nodded. “They don’t need to know about it.”

They fell into an awkward silence. They knew what conversation was coming next. Neither of them ready to confront it. 

“Did you want a drink?” asked Robert.

“Why did you do it Robert? Why Rebecca of all people?” 

Robert thought about it for a moment. “Because I was selfish and I was lashing out.” He looked Aaron in the eyes. “Mostly I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt me.” 

Aaron met Robert’s eyes. He saw nothing but hurt in them. Aaron knew deep down that this time was different to the other times he had cheated. He remembered how Robert was when he was cheating on Chrissie, he would always say how guilty he felt but it never showed up in his eyes. He hadn't cared about cheating on Chrissie maybe despite what he had said the relationship was only about the power and money it brought. He had told Aaron that he only ended it with Rebecca because Chrissie got more serious. Maybe his true love had been Rebecca all along. 

Aaron needed to know for sure. 

“Talk me though what happened after you left the prison.”

“Aaron –“

“I need to know what happened Robert, so either tell me or I’ll find Rebecca.” 

“OK! Fine.” He went to grab them both a beer knowing they would both need one. “After I left the prison, I drove back to the village on my way I stopped at a random shop and brought a bottle of whiskey. I wanted to avoid the questions of the village, most of them knew I had gone to visit you. I went straight to the mill. I wanted to be alone. I couldn’t face Liv and her questions especially as she knew that I would have confronted you about the drugs. I even ignored her calls.” He paused to take a swig of beer. 

“Adam was busy working on what was supposed to be our bedroom. I told him to go home. I think he realised that I was upset because he tried to argue but left quickly. I sat on the bed and stared at the room. That at that moment was meaningless. You had ended things. Everything I had done had been for nothing. The one person I loved more than my own life had told me I was of no use to him.” 

Aaron looked like he wanted to cry. 

“Hey, listen to me, I am not blaming you.” Robert wanted to reach out and hug him. He was confident that Aaron wouldn’t reject him. 

“I sat on the bed and started to drink the whiskey. The longer I sat there the angrier I got. I lashed out and started to break the furniture. After the anger started to fade I stopped and retrieved the whiskey before sinking down onto the floor. The next morning, I woke up in bed with Bex.” 

Aaron bristled at the nickname ‘Bex’. 

“And the rest.” 

Robert looked reluctant. 

“No! You are not squirming out of telling me the rest. Go on, tell me Robert, tell me how you ended up sleeping with her, three weeks after we got married, in our new unused bed!” Aaron shouted at him. The anger pulsing through him. He didn’t care how hard this was for Robert. It was hardly a picnic for him to hear. 

“I can’t!” 

“And why is that, eh? You clearly don’t care about hurting me. You already admitted you slept with her because you wanted to get back at me. So why are you backing out now!?”

“Because I don’t remember” whispered Robert, so quietly Aaron had almost missed it. 

“Say that again.” 

“I don’t remember, Aaron.” His voice harsh. “The biggest mistake I have ever made and I don’t even remember it.”

Robert looked at Aaron. The younger man had paled a little and had a surprised look his face. Aaron was torn. Was Robert lying to him? Was he just trying to get out of telling him? Aaron looked at Robert, his stance, the way his shoulders sagged, the defeated look on his face screamed that he was telling the truth. But how could he not remember?

“What was the last thing you remember?” asked Aaron. 

“Sitting in the mill on the bedroom floor. Drinking half a bottle of whiskey.”

“Were you alone?”

Robert’s face screamed up as he thought back through the hazy memory of that night. “Yes, I was alone.”

“and the next thing you remember is waking up the next morning?”

“Yes, Aaron, how many times.”

Aaron’s next questioned surprised him. “How are you so sure that the two of you had sex if you don’t remember?”

Robert shifted uncomfortably. “We were both naked. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots.”

“Did you not think that it was strange that you didn’t remember?”

“With the amount of whiskey, I had drunk? I would have been more surprised if I had remembered anything.”

Aaron bit his lip. Robert noticed that his hands were clenched into fists. He was upset. He seemed to be choosing his words very carefully. 

“Did it ever occur to you that it might not have been consensual between the two of you?”

Robert paled. “Are you saying you think I raped her?” he spluttered. 

“No! No!” Aaron looking uncomfortable as he clarified. “Have you ever considered that she may have raped you?” 

Robert laughed. “Don’t be ridiculous Aaron.” He saw the look on his face. “You’re being serious.” 

“Yes, I am being serious.” 

“and you think this because?” 

“Because you have no memory of her even being in the room with you, let alone having sex and if that doesn’t make you uneasy it should.” 

Robert thought about this. He had felt odd about not being able to remember the night. But it didn’t mean that he hadn’t wanted to have sex with Rebecca. 

“I have had multiple people tell me how much of state you were in during my prison stay. Both Adam and Victoria have told me the state you were in that night.” He paused. “I need to speak to Rebecca.”

“You what”

“I need to know everything about that night and seeing as you don’t remember the only other person that can is Rebecca, so give her a call.” 

Robert knew better than to argue. He picked up the phone and rang her. Surprised when she picked up. 

“Hey Bex”

“What do you want?”

“Can I come over for a chat it’s important”

“Yeah sure, I am up at home farm”

She put the phone down. Aaron was already on his feet grabbing Robert’s coat. 

“Let’s go”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aaron and Robert go to talk to Rebecca

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: A quick grammar check led to me adding on 500 words to the first chapter. Nothing new happens I just added a bit more detail.

The ride up to home farm was completely silent. Each man lost in their own thoughts. 

 

Robert was nervous. He had no idea what to expect. He was aware that he was humouring Aaron. As he drove through the gates of home farm and onto the drive way he glanced at Aaron. The younger man had spent the entire journey staring out the window. His fists still clenched. He was unsure this was the best thing but he could tell by the set of Aaron’s jaws he wouldn’t let this go. 

 

Robert pulled up outside the front door. They got quietly out of the car. Aaron hung back and kept himself out of the view of the door. He didn’t want Rebecca to see him immediately. 

 

Robert doesn’t get a chance to knock before Rebecca has opened the door. She dressed in a well fitted dress that shows off her best assets. An easy smile on her face. 

 

“Hello, I ‘ll admit I was surprised but pleased you called.” 

 

“Shame he only did it because I asked him too.” Aaron said as he came into view. 

 

Robert for his part looks guilty. She looks between them a apprehensive look on her face now. 

 

“What’s going on?” she asks. 

 

“I think it’s time the three of us had a nice little chat, don’t you?” explains Aaron. Without giving her a chance to respond he walks past her and into the smaller living room. He still has a decent knowledge of the house thanks to the time he spent there when Robert was cheating on Chrissie. By the time, Robert and Rebecca have followed him, he has sat down on the sofa in the middle, leaving them to sit on sofas facing each other. 

 

“Right now, that we are all nice and comfortable” he turned to Rebecca. “I would like you to explain to me how you helped my husband cheat on me.”

 

“What is he not man enough to tell you himself.” She shot a glare at Robert. 

 

“Not at all, I have his version of events but I am sure you are aware that he isn’t the most reliable of people. So, I want to know yours.” 

 

Rebecca looked between them. Was this a joke? Neither men seemed to be saying ‘gotcha’. 

 

She looks directly at Aaron. “Are you sure you want to hear this.” 

 

Aaron nodded. “100%”

 

Rebecca sighed. “Okay, I was at the pub on a date with Ross, we were on a date. Adam came into the pub complaining to Victoria about Robert’s bad mood at the mill. Victoria wanted to go and talk to him but Faith wouldn’t let her leave the pub and Adam convinced her it would be better to give Robert some time to cool down before attempting to talk to him. About two minutes later, I got a text from Robert asking me if I was around. I made my excuse to Ross about my dad having a computer emergency, I don’t think he brought it, I left the pub and headed to the mill.”

 

“I don’t often give Ross a lot of credit but even he wouldn’t have been that stupid. The plot thickens eh. Robert cheats on me and you cheat on Ross.”

 

“Me and Ross aren’t that serious”

 

“Holding out for someone else, are we?” 

 

Rebecca didn’t answer. Aaron gave out a bitter laugh. “You know what you are pathetic. I chucked him out a week ago and has he called you? Text you? Bothered with you at all? What was he like the morning after? How many times are you going to fall for his ridiculous charm and get it into your head he doesn’t care about you?” 

 

Rebecca had tears in her eyes. Aaron ignored them. “Carry on.”

 

“When I arrived at the mill. Robert was sat against a wall with an almost empty bottle of whiskey. The room was almost completely trashed.” 

 

She paused. 

 

“And” pushed Aaron. 

 

“We talked about you. How helpless Robert felt with you in prison, how you had told him you didn’t need him. He talked about how falling in love was a mugs game. How maybe he should stop trying to better himself and just be the person everyone expects him to be. Basically, he wanted to become the man whore we are both so fond of.” 

 

Robert looked uncomfortable. 

 

“He tried to kiss me, I rejected him and took the whiskey off him. He kept pushing. He told me everything I needed to hear to get me to have sex with him.” 

 

Aaron turned to Robert. “She must have been desperate for you. Your idea of seduction when your drunk is rather pathetic.” 

 

They both shared a knowing look. Remembering the time Robert got drunk and made a pass at Aaron while they were arguing during the affair. 

 

“So, you had sex” prompted Aaron. He saw Robert sit up straight at this. 

 

“Would you like me to draw you a diagram.” She asked smarmily. 

 

“Nah, it may have been a while but I remember the basics of having sex with a woman.” 

 

That threw Rebecca. She can’t sight of Robert trying not to laugh. 

 

“You verbally telling me will suffice”

 

Rebecca looked at Robert. Silently asking him if Aaron was being serious. 

 

“Ok, so we kissed and started to undress each other before we fell onto the bed.”

 

“On second thought I don’t a play by play, just the position will do.”

 

Rebecca looked confused. Why does he want to know? What does it matter? Robert can tell she is starting to get suspicious. He knows that this is going to end badly. It was like he was watching a train about to crash. 

 

She hides her suspicions as a cheeky grin forms on her face. “Robert has always liked a little cowgirl action.” 

 

“So, you were on top?” clarified Aaron. 

 

“You sure you don’t want me to draw that diagram?”

 

“No thank you. I have all the information I need.” 

 

“Great, now you can leave.” She gestures towards the door.

 

“No, I don’t think so.” He bites back. 

 

“I get it your mad at me but what I don’t get why you don’t seem mad at him. Did he merely meet your low expectations of him? He used me as much as he betrayed you.”

 

“You know Rebecca, you never struck me as a girl that gets played. Your smart. From what I have seen you have a better moral compass than Lawrence, Chrissie and Lachlan combined. Expect when it comes to Robert. You know I get it. The sex with him is good, mind-blowing even.” He turned to Robert as he heard him laugh. “Shut it.” His tone dripping with amusement. 

 

“The thing I really don’t understand is why you’re playing the victim card. The girl who slept with her sister’s boyfriend. Who upon reconnecting with the same ex-lover immediately threw herself at him despite knowing he was in a relationship. Ignored him as he rejected you several times. Stated repeatedly that he wasn’t interested. I bet fireworks went off in your head when Robert told you we had split. Bonus that he was drunk and vulnerable. Finally, no more barriers. If you play your cards right you finally get him after all these years despite the fact he has picked people over you on multiple occasions. You have only ever been the consolation shag for him. So, I’d agree your relentless pursuit of him is pathetic but I wouldn’t call you the victim here.”

 

“Get out” shot out Rebecca through the tears that were now dripping down her face. “Get out!” 

 

“Aaron come on.” Said Robert. They quickly left as they heard Lawrence and Ronnie walking through from the office. The last thing they needed was to be found by them while Rebecca was so upset. 

 

It wasn’t until Robert was on the main road that he spoke to Aaron. “Feel better?”

 

“No, I don’t” 

 

Robert sighed. He pulled the car into the layby and turned to face Aaron. It was his turn to choose his words carefully. 

 

“Now you have heard Rebecca’s side what are you thinking?”

 

“That you were too drunk to consent. Which means that technically you were raped”

 

Robert swallowed. “Technically?” 

 

“It’s just I can’t help but wonder if you still would have slept with her if you hadn’t drunk so much.” 

 

“I can’t answer that Aaron.” He said sadly. 

 

“I know.” 

 

“So where do we go from here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Aaron and Robert discuss the what to do next. Robert attempts to wrap his head around the new perspective of his night with Rebecca. 
> 
> I decided to have Robert and Aaron discuss it properly before others know about it. I plan to do an entire village reactions which will feed into a lot of stereotypes of these situations.


	3. Chapter 3

“I think you should stay at Vic’s” Aaron’s voice broke through the silence. 

They were sat in the car outside the pub. A few people had seen them and the collective shake of the head showed the villages disappointment in Aaron for talking to Robert so soon. 

Robert’s face stayed neutral. It wasn’t a complete shock. They both had a lot to think about and them going back to the pub together certainly wouldn’t help. Aaron climb out of the car and waved goodbye to Robert before going through the back door. The moment he got in the door Liv was there. 

“You saw Robert?”

“Yes, I did.”

“How did it go? Is he moving back in?”

“Liv, slow down, we just talked.” Aaron fought to keep the irritation out of his voice. He knew she missed Robert even though she still won’t actually admit it. 

“Are you going to forgive him?”

“Liv!”

“Ok ok, I’ll leave you alone.” She turns and walks back upstairs. Aaron sighs as he watches her go. He wants to apologise and tell her he isn’t made at her she just happens to be the person he can take his frustration on but he doesn’t. The call of an empty room is far stronger. Even though he knows his mum or anyone can interrupt the silence at any moment he prefers that to going to his room. That room was too full of Robert for him to think with a clear head. 

“Aaron love, you’re back!” Chas spoke as she came through the door, the low hum of noise from the pub seeping through. 

“How did it go?” she asked cautiously. Right from the beginning of their affair, Robert had always been a touchy subject with Aaron especially when things were going wrong. 

“It didn’t go quite like I expected.”

“How so?”

Aaron was on the verge of telling her. The words were right on the tip of his tongue but a voice in his head stopped him. He had no idea what Robert thought of it. Regardless it wasn’t his place to tell anyone. Before he had the chance to avoid the question, Victoria came into the room. 

“Oh Aaron, how did it go.”

Without looking at either of them he answered. “He is still cluttering up your spare room. So how do you think it went?” 

He watched Victoria’s face drop. Clearly this wasn’t the result she had been hoping for when she had spoken to him this morning. Even the ever-optimistic Vic should have known that it was never going to be resolved in one talk. 

“Well I am glad –“ started Chas. 

“Glad!” retorted Victoria. 

“Yes, I am glad, that they aren’t jumping straight back into how things were. This isn’t about how I feel about your brother’s action with a certain someone. This is me acknowledging they have both had a rough seven weeks and them moving back with each other might not be the best thing.”

Aaron was slightly surprised at this. He was surprised with his mum’s entire attitude to Robert’s night with Rebecca. She was certainly reacting a lot calmer than he expected or maybe he just wasn’t there for the fireworks of her finding out. He was still surprised with Robert telling his mum. Vic was right the old Robert wouldn’t have done that. Hell, Katie accidently died because Robert couldn’t face/tell the truth. 

Victoria’s voice broke through him, breaking him out of his thoughts. They were still debating over the right way for him and Robert to move forward. He rolled his eyes and left the room unnoticed by both women. 

He didn’t pay attention as he walked through the village, lost in his own thoughts. He wasn’t surprised when he found himself stood the metal fence surrounding the mill. Staring at the house, the house that represented so much. His curiosity of what it currently looked like overtook his aversion to the building. He slowly walked down the driveway. The outside of the house hadn’t changed. As he got closer to the door he noticed remnants of the red spray paint, that’ll be the graffiti then he thought. 

He turns the door handle. Surprised when it opens. He needs to talk to Adam about keeping it locked at all times. The downstairs had completely changed. It’s impressive how much Ronnie and Adam have accomplished in the six weeks he was in prison. There was still a lot of work to do but the entire ground floor had been stripped and completely redecorated with new flooring, wallpaper and paint. 

He walked slowly up the stairs, taking in the house. He could already imagine them living here. Liv with her path of destruction as storms around with her latest teenage drama. Robert making breakfast in the kitchen. Him and Adam sat in the living room playing FIFA while Robert rolls his eyes at the pair of them. 

There was just one problem. 

He had reached what was supposed to be their bedroom. He could see the broken furniture in the corner waiting to be replaced. The bed had been stripped of its sheets. He wondered what they had been. He thought of the bickering match they had when Robert had brought them a quilt with butterflies on. Robert swore the next one would be ‘plain and boring’. 

As he stared at the bed imagines of Robert and Rebecca having sex entered his mind. It’s not like the imagines were new. The moment he had found out about their past he couldn’t help but worry if Robert would be tempted. He was so conflicted over what to think. There was never going to be a clear answer to this, especially if Robert didn’t regain any of his memory from that night. 

He could believe Rebecca, that Robert was the one that seduced her, he had form of course but it didn’t sit right with him. The image of Robert’s devastated face when Aaron had told him he was no use to him had been burned in his brain. 

He took out his phone and looked through his photos of them. Smiling at the photo of them, taken by Liv, arguing while playing scrabble. They hadn’t spoken for an hour after. Robert sulked about losing for days. 

It was then he decided that regardless of the truth. He wasn’t willing to give up Robert. 

*****************************************************************************

Robert was sat in Keeper’s Cottage. His laptop on the coffee table in front of him. Over an hours’ worth of google hadn’t given him anything particularly useful but it had been helpful. He had learnt that the internet was full of people having heated debates on the issue of consent regarding alcohol. The only thing they seemed to agree on is that women could be capable of raping men. Robert was still sceptical of this. Regarding the law, a woman couldn’t rape a man but that didn’t mean that it didn’t happen. He had seen hundreds of posts about how arousal didn’t mean consent. 

It unnerved him that every argument he could come up with to say that his experience was just too much drink there were comments about how that it wasn’t right. According to the online bloggers he had read, the fact that he doesn’t remember consenting or the sex, means he was too drunk to consent, which would technically count as rape. Which seems logical. He agreed with the comments that had it been the other way around and Rebecca had been in his shoes the outcome would be different. Hell, Lawrence would have had him killed by now. 

His head was spinning. It had been a long day and he felt like he was just going around in circles. There was clear answer here. He hated to think it but he need to talk to Rebecca on his own. He needed to know what happened without Aaron being there. She was more likely to tell him the truth alone. When there was no one to hear her. 

He got up and once again went back to his car and drove to home farm. He parked the car in one of the few blind spots. He had no intention of this turning into a huge scene. He quietly walked to the door and knocked. He waited but wasn’t getting a response. He gently turned the handle and felt the door open. It didn’t take long before he heard Lawrence’s enraged voice. 

“Of course, it’s Robert. Why can’t you let him go? Look at what he has done to this family!”

Robert rolled his eyes. Trust Lawrence to still be blaming him for everything wrong with his twisted family. 

“Maybe I should have a word with him.” He continued. 

“Dad don’t.”

“But darling. He can’t keep upsetting you.”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle myself.”

“Ok –“ a ringtone played from the business office. “That’s mine I best get that. This chat isn’t over.”

Robert breathed a sigh of relief maybe now he can sneak in to talk to Rebecca. 

“What aren’t you telling him?” asked another man. It must be Ronnie. 

“Robert claims that he doesn’t remember having sex with me.”

“Right.”

“I mean I know he had been drinking but he was fine. Surely if he was that drunk I would have known. The way Aaron looked at me earlier. If looks could kill I’d be dead.”

“How much had he drunk?”

“If the bottle of whiskey was full when he started? A whole bottle minus the mouthful I had.” 

“That’s a fair amount.”

“He was the one that came onto me! I tried to put him off, I told him that he was drunk but he wouldn’t take me rejects.” 

“So you gave in?” asked Robert stepping through the open door. 

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be here.” Said Ronnie. 

He turned to Ronnie. “I just want answers. The only person who can give me those answers is Rebecca.” 

Ronnie nodded. “You best sit down.” 

Robert sat down. He noted how Ronnie sat close to Rebecca in an almost protective way. Rebecca took a breath. 

“When I arrived at the mill you were a mess. We talked, well you talked. You told me that you and Aaron were over and how love was a mugs game. You were clearly upset. When you came onto me I rejected you but you insisted and when you next tried to kiss me I didn’t stop to you.” 

Robert shifted uncomfortably. 

“We had sex. It wasn’t until the next morning I realised.”

“Realised what?” asked Robert.

“How drunk you really were. It was weird one minute you were actively participating the next minute you just stopped. You pretty much just laid there.” 

Robert had gone pale. A very foggy memory came to him. He was in bed with Rebecca. He remembers feeling nauseous. He wasn’t interested in her he just wanted her to get off so he could throw up. 

“Oh god.” He whispered. 

“I swear it wasn’t intentional. If I had realised how drunk you really were I never would have slept with you.” 

Robert reluctantly looked at her. He saw the tears in her eyes. He was inclined to believe her. She was a lot of things but she wouldn’t do something like that intentionally. 

“I have to go.” 

“Robert –“

“I have to go!” 

As he was leaving he caught site of Chrissie and Lawrence talking. Heard the shout of Lawrence but he ignored it. The moment he reached his car he retched and threw up in the grass. He got into his car. He could see Ronnie talking with a furious Lawrence he seemed to be trying to convince him to go back inside. 

He took a minute to gather himself and then he set off there was only one thing he needed right now and that was Aaron.


End file.
